Sandy toes and a head for history
Head to The Eden Project for an immense indoor rainforest or to The Lost Gardens of Heligan for a whopping garden-restoration project. Get sand between your toes at Polstreath and Portmellon, beer down your neck at St Austell Brewery, fresh air in your lungs at Adrenalin Quarry, and history in your head at Trewithen and Lanhydrock.
Kids Ahoy!
The Eden Project’s just up the road, so pop in to see the largest indoor rainforest in the world. Also local are The Lost Gardens of Heligan, unearthed from brambles in 1990 to become Europe’s largest garden-restoration project. Or stay in Mevagissey for The World of Model Railways or the mysteries of the deep at the aquarium.
Discover sandy beaches at Caerhays, Polstreath, Portmellon, and Gorren Haven, or wild-swim at Talland Bay and rule the waves with The Cornwall Surf Academy. Jump on the ferry to Fowey and watch for seals and dolphins or walk the South West Coast Path from Mevagissey to Portmellon.
Get your helmets on and go underground at the Carnglaze Caverns, to see three glorious caves and a crystal-clear lake. Ride the Bodmin and Wenford Railway through lovely scenery, zoom down the zip wires at Adrenalin Quarry, or move more sedately on four legs with Polmartin Riding Stables.
Turn yourself into a giant at Polperro Model Village, meet the meerkats at Porfell Wildlife Park, or explore Cornwall’s dark past at Bodmin Jail Museum. See Titanic artefacts at The Shipwreck Treasure Museum. Brave the rides at Camel Creek. Or experience the world’s largest indoor rainforest at The Eden Project.
For the grown ups
Country-estate buffs and National Trust fans should get down to Trewithen for 30 acres of woodland gardens and over 200 acres of parkland and Lanhydrock House’s home, garden and wooded estate. Be sure to catch the castle at Caerhays and the Lost Gardens of Heligan, as well as some culture at the clifftop Minack Theatre.
Potter along high-hedged lanes or colour-coded routes at Lanhydrock when you rent bikes from Pentewan Valley. Play the James Braid-designed St Austell Golf Course. Hop aboard the Bessie Vee for angling and sharking. Try bouldering at The Tide, clay pigeon-blasting at Cruggan Farm, or paddleboarding at Cornwall Watersports.
Enjoy on-site massage and beauty tweaks from our professional therapists at Glo Pamper. Or treat yourself to pampering days at Carlyon Bay Spa or Fowey Hall Hotel Spa. Watch beer make it from grain to glass at St Austell Brewery. Or try a gin tipple in Tarquin’s tasting rooms.
Row the river with Fowey River Hire, ride the 660-metre Hangloose at the Eden Project, England’s fastest zip wire. Potter Mevagissey’s cobbles and harbour in search of coffee shops, quirky independents and galleries. Or try Truro for national brands and independent boutiques. Wrap up the day with quayside cocktails at The Sharksfin.
